Gauging Karrueche’s Strength: Does It Take Tough Skin to Date Chris Brown?

Karrueche Tran, Chris Brown's on again / off again girlfriend, is speaking out a bit about the ton of negative criticisms she garnered while dating the troubled superstar.

Tran and Brown launched their romance in 2011, two years after Brown was convicted of beating ex-girlfriend Rihanna. The two separated in 2012 after the "Birthday Cake" collaborators tried to rekindle their romance, but they reconciled in 2013 after Brown and Rihanna officially called it quits.

During the whole ordeal, Tran was basically a punching bag for Rihanna, her legion of followers, and many outsiders on all popular social networks. But through all the darts thrown her way, Tran used her inner strength to prevail.

"I was going through a situation that we all are very familiar of. I had a lot of criticism and comments about my current situation at the time. It was honestly very hard to deal with because people were saying really cruel things," Tran told Annex magazine. "Having to go through a rough time and then on top of that, having to deal with a ton of BS was a bit overwhelming. I stayed strong and it made me a strong person."

Tran also gave some advice to people dealing with adversities or similar situations: "Never allow people's opinions to justify your life. Live your life because at the end of the day, you've only got you."